Rugged ASUS Chromebook Flip C213 Is Ready For The Rigors Of School Life

Have you ever seen a child handle an electronic device? The more expensive the gadget, the more nerve-wracking it can be to see a kid clumsily fumble around with it, only to inevitably drop it on the ground at some point. When you toss in the rigors of school life, it seems like the odds are stacked against things like notebooks and smartphones. Well, ASUS took all that into consideration when building its latest Chromebook and made it rugged, something the company is used to doing.

The new Chromebook Flip C213 from ASUS is purpose built for use in educational environments. Part of that entails a tough and tumble construction that exceeds military standards of durability, because things happen at school. This applies both the inside and outside of the Chromebook Flip C213, the latter of which sports a wraparound rubber bumper and all-metal 360-degree hinges covered with zinc-alloy caps. ASUS also built in two special grips strategically located to reduce the chances of dropping the Chromebook in the first place.

When flipped open, there is a spill-proof keyboard that withstand up to 2.2 ounces of knocked over juice, milk, Red Bull, or whatever it is kids are drinking these days (lattes, probably). And for typing, the keyboard features 2mm of key travel.

The focus on education also extends to battery life—up to 12 hours, so little Johnny can't use the excuse that his laptop died for not completing his homework on time—and a modular design that is easy to service. According to ASUS, four simple steps that can be performed in minutes is all it takes to dismantle key components.

As for the specs, the Chromebook Flip C213 sports an 11.6-inch Full HD display that can bend all the way backwards onto itself. This is powered by an Intel dual-core N3350 processor based on the company's Apollo Lake architecture and 4GB of RAM. It also has 32GB of eMMC storage, 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity, two USB 2.1 Gen1 Type-C ports, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack, HD front camera, 5-megapixel rear camera, and a 46Wh battery.

The Chromebook Flip C213 is available now for $349. ASUS also plans to launch a glass and stylus version in September for $399.